NWFA | Trio enters finals fight

Just six weeks out from the first of the NWFA finals and with the top three ladder positions unlikely to change, attention is now turning to three teams vying for the elimination final play-off ahead of Saturday’s fifth-last round of NWFA roster matches.

DUCK AND WEAVE: Forth's Jacob Marshall slips through the grip of his East Ulverstone opponent. Picture: Brodie Weeding

Turners Beach, East Ulverstone and Rosebery Toorak is the trio making a pitch for the two remaining finals spots and the added interest is being generated by the trio sharing six wins each.

Turners Beach and East Ulverstone currently occupy fourth and fifth positions respectively, with Rosebery Toorak hot on their heels.

That makes the match on the West Coast, between Rosebery Toorak and Turners Beach, the most appealing of the afternoon.

And the outcome is likely to be decided by player availability, whether shift work will affect the home side and how many players can make the trip for Turners Beach.

The task for East Ulverstone is to come to terms with the Wesley Vale line-up playing with confidence and buoyed by their defeat of Motton Preston last weekend.

Although East was soundly beaten by the Kangaroos earlier in the year, coach Josh Horton has shaped his team into a more competitive unit with the chance of posting a competitive score.

Perennial finalist Motton Preston has hit a bit of a flat spot with player unavailability and injury, but can be expected to recover some lost ground at West Ulverstone.

They are going up against the Lions who are on track for another wooden spoon season.

And it seems the winless West cannot take a trick.

After the recent signing of former Turners Beach playmaker Chris Hall, that’s likely to be offset by the loss of brother Damian through injury.

Forth’s march towards the minor premiership could well be a step closer, fuelled by the prospect of the taking the points against Spreyton.